Remote control mechanism



'Jfine 13, 1933. THOMPSON 1,913,735

REMOTE CONTROL MECHANI SM Filed Sept. 12, 1951 INVENTOR RI/S SELL G. THOMPSON ii llalul h Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RUSSELL G. THOMPSON, OF 'ROCHESTR NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR '10 ELEUIROMATIC TYPEWRITEBS, 1110., OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK REMOTE CONTROL MECHANISM Application filed September 12, 1931. Serial No. 562,521.

This invention relates to improvements in remote. control mechanism, and has for its principal object the provision ofv simple and inexpensive means for selectively controlling the operation of a plurality of transmitting switches by means of a perforated master sheet.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a power driven roller and a pluralit of star wheels cooperating therewith, each 02 the star wheels being arranged to operate a switch, and a. master. sheet adapted to be arranged on the power driven roller for selectively controlling the operation of the star wheels thereby. 1

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a star wheel of a form adapted to close its switch when operated and maintain it closed a predetermined interval of time or until operated a second time by the power driven roller.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section showing so much of a remote control mechanism as is necessary to illustrate one application of the invention, the section being taken substantially on line 11 of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows at said line;

Fig. 2 is a. similar section taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrow at said line;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showin the star wheel in another positiomand Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the mechanism. v

Referring particularly to the drawing, the device illustrated comprises a switch having resilient arms 1 and 2 rigidly mounted in a support 3 and insulated from each other. This switch is comprised in a circuit 4 which may be connected with a remote receivingapparatus of any usual or preferred form adapted to convert electrical impulses into intelligible form. The arms 1 and 2 are normally free from eachother to break the circuit or normally maintain it open, means being provided, however,'for flexing the arm 2 into engagement with the arm 1 ora contact point 5 thereon to c'lbsethe circuit. To'this end, a resilient arm 6 is mounted 'on the support 3' and projects therefrom in the vertical plane of the arms 1 and 2 and adjacentthe arm 2 but insulatedtherefrom in spaced relation thereto. At its free end, the arm 6 is operatively connected with the arm 2 by means of an insulating block 7.

Power actuated means are provided for actuating the arm 6 to close the circuit. Said 5 means comprises an actuator in the form of a lever 8'mo11nted on a common pivot rod 9 and normally arranged in contact with the arm 6 at 01' adjacent its rear end. At its forward end,.a star wheel'll is revolubly mounted thereon adjacent the surface of a power driven roller 12. The roller 12 is provided with longitudinally arranged depressions 13 forming projections 14 between them, with which the arms 15 0f the star wheels 11 are adapted to engage to turn the star wheels on the levers 8, which operation cams the forward end of the lever away from the roller 7 and causes its rear end to fiexthe arm 6 A so and withit the arm 2 to close the circuit. spring 16 may be arranged to resiliently connect the lever 8 with a fixed part and cooperate with the arm 6 to press the star wheelinto engagement with the power roller.

It will beunderstood that although only 55' one lever 8 has been described, any suitable number thereof may be employed, one corresponding to each remote operation to be controlled, and each provided with a star wheel and arranged to control a switch, as shown in Fig. 4. Means are provided for selectively controlling the engagement of the star wheels with the power roller. Said means comprises aperforated master sheet 17 arranged on the power driven rol'lerbctweensaid roller and the star wheels, so that two'of the arms or rays of the star wheels engage the sheet and ride thereon out. of engagement with the roller. l/Vhen, however, a perforation of the sheet encounters an arm of one of the star wheels,-the arm projects through the perforation into engagement with the roller and the star wheel is rotated to operate the lever and close the corresponding switch.

Certain controlled operations require an appreciable period of time for their performance. It is, therefore, desirable to provide means for maintaining certain of the circuits which control such operations closed for an appreciable period of time. To this end, star wheels 21, such as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, having their arms 22 arranged alternately in pairs at greater and lesser distances apart, are provided for operating the switches which control such operations.

Two perforations are provided in the master 7 sheet for operating each of the star wheels 21, the first to move it from the Fig. 2 to the Fig. 3 position to close the switch, and the second to move it again from the Fig. 3 to the Fig. 2 position to open the switch. The distance between said perforations in the master sheet determines the interval of time durin which the circuit is closed.

%y the arrangement described, matter to be transmitted and frequently repeated may be provided in a master sheet and automatically transmitted by arranging the sheet on the power driven roller.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is described herein, it will be understood that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claims.

1 claim:

1. A remote control device comprising an electric switch, a power driven roller, a star wheel cooperating with said roller for operating said switch, and a perforated master sheet on said roller for controlling the operation of said star wheel.

2. A remote control device comprising an electric switch, a lever operatively associated with said switch, a power driven roller, a star wheel rotatably mounted on said lever and arranged to engage the power driven roller to be actuated thereby to 0 rate said switch, and a perforated master shzet on said roller for controlling the operation of the star wheel. a

3. A remote control device comprising an eiectric switch, power operated means for closing said switch and maintaining it closed during an appreciable interval of time, said means comprising a power driven roller, a lever for operating said switch, a perforated sheet on said roller, and a star wheel on said lever arranged to ride on said sheet and movable from a position in which the switch is open to a position in which the switch is closed, and adapted to engage the roller through erforations in the sheet to be rotated there y from one position to the other.

4. A remote control device comprising 9.

master sheet on said roller, a star wheel having arms arran ed alternately in pairs and engaging said s eet by one or another pair of said arms, means on said roller for tuming said star wheel to eng its next succeeding pair of arms with the s eet to operate the switch when one of its arms engages a perforation in the master sheet.

5. A remote control device com rising a switch, a power driven roller, a ever for operating said switch, a perforated master sheet on said roller, a star wheel on said lever, and arms on said star wheel arranged in pairs, the arms of adjacent pairs being s aced different distances apart, one pair ing adapted to ride on the perforated sheet and maintain the lever in a position in which the switch is open and the adjacent pair being adapted to maintain the lever in a position in which the switch is closed, said arms being adapted to engage the roller through perforations in the sheet to turn the star wheel to move one pair of arms out of engagement with the sheet and the adjacent pair into engagement therewith.

switch, a power driven roller, a perforated my name.

RUSSELL G. THOMPSON. 

